Loose-leaf book



' R. c. RUSSELL Aug. 26

LOOSE LEAF BOOK Filed Nov. 14

Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES ROBERT C. RUSSELL,

F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

LOOSE-LEAF BOOK.

Application filed November 14, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. RUSSELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Books; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in loose leaf books, and more particularly to such in which the members which pass through the leaves are pivotally connected with the book backs or covers through the medium of rods passing through sleeves or tubular portions at the inner edges of metal plates secured to the back or cover members of the book.

It has been heretofore proposed to construct removable connecting rods for the leaf penetrating members and in order that these rods may be housed within the tubes or rodways and be capable of receiving a key whereby they may be withdrawn, one end portion of one or both rods is first reduced (usually by milling) and then threaded, such reducing of the rod having been 'rendered necessary in order that a key may be inserted into the tube or rodway so that it may be screwed onto a housed rod to facilitate the withdrawal of the same. lVith such prior constructions, the connecting rods are liable to be turned, by continued opening and closing of the book, and gradually moved longitudinally until the finely threaded contracted ends of said rods will protrude sufiieiently to endanger the hands and clothing of the user; the reduced ends of the rods are liable to be broken off thus precluding subsequent use of a key, and the fine threads are apt to be stripped and thus preclude the use of a key to remove said rods when leaves are to be inserted or removed.

The object of my present invention is to overcome the defects and difficulties hereto fore encountered with loose leaf books, and to so construct the same that a strong key may be employed; so that the reducing of the threaded ends of the rods shall be obviated; so that the rods may be provided with deep strong threads to receive the key, and so that simple means shall be provided which will prevent the rods from turning Serial No. 674,664.

when the key is being applied or removed, or turning and creeping longitudinally duringkrepeated opening and closing of the With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims. I

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a face View showing a portion of a book structure and illustrating an application of my invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged fragmentary views partly in elevation and partly in section;

Figure l is a transverse section on the line 44 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 of Figure 3.

The back or cover members of a book are shown at 1, 1. To the adjacent edge portions of the respective back members, metal plates 2 are secured in any suitable manner, as by fastening devices indicated at 3, and at its inner edge, each plate 2 is provided with a tubular portion 4 which constitutes a guide-way for a locking rod 5. The inner edge portion of each plate 2 is provided with notches 6 which extend also through the tubular rod guides 4 and divide the latter into aligning sections. The notches 6 in the respective plates serve to receive respective ends of cross links 7 which pass through slots in the leaves (not shown) and these links are provided near their ends with holes 8 for the passage of the rods 5, with which said links have pivotal connection;

One end of one or both locking rods 5 is provided with a threaded portion 9, the threads of which may be of maximum depth and the maximum diameter of this threaded portion is equal to the diameter of the body portion of the rod. The locking rods are thus provided with strong threaded portions, not liable to be broken off and not apt to injure the hands or clothing of the user when they project beyond the inner ends of the tubular guides 4. The threaded outer ends of the locking rods are normally housed within enlarged sleeve extensions 10 of the tubular guides, said sleeve extensions having such internal diameter as to admit the interiorly threaded portion 11 of a key 12 and permit the same to be screwed onto the threaded end of the locking rod 5, the purpose of said key being to permit the user to withdraw one or the other locking rod to. release one end of each of the leaf links 7 and enable the user to apply a leaf to or remove a leaf from said links. The locking rod may be pushed back to its normal position with the use of the key as will be readily understood.

In order that the key may be properly threaded on the locking rod or removed therefrom, it is important that means be provided to prevent the rod from turning. It is also important to prevent the locking rods from turning and consequently creeping longitudinally during repeated opening and closing of the book. In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the forward end of each locking rod is made beveled or wedge-shaped as at 12* and the beveled facethus provided engages a similar beveled face 13 on a wedgeshaped extension 14: of a cap 15 which closes the forward end of each guide tube, and thus the locking rods are prevented from turning. The wedge 14: may be soldered to the guide tube and the ea or closure 15 may consist of the solder which holds the wedge in place, or the wedges 14: may be secured within the forward ends of the guide tubes in any other desired manner. V

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a loose-leaf book, the combination of guide tubes, locking rods longitudinally movable in said guide tubes and removable therefrom, leaf links having pivotal connection with said locking rods, said locking rods provided at their inner ends with threaded portions having maximum diameter equal to the diameters of said rods, and enlarged housing I sleeves on said guide tubes normally receiv end with one cover ing said threaded portions of the rods.

2. In a loose leaf book, the combination with cover members, leaf links and means for pivotally connecting said links at one member, ing holes at their other ends, of a plate secured to the other-cover member and provided at one edge with a tubular guide, said plate having notches dividing said tubular guide into sections and receiving said leaf links, a removable locking rod passing said links havthrough said tubular guide and through said holes in the leaf links, said rod having a threaded portion at one end, and an enlarged sleeve extension on said tubular guide and normally housing the threaded portion of the rod and permitting insertion of a key to engage said threaded portion of the rod.

' 3. In a loose leaf book, the combination with cover members, leaf links and means for pivotally connecting said links at one end with one cover member, said links having holes at their other ends, of a plate secured to the other cover member and provided at one edge with a tubular guide, said plate having notches dividing said tubular guide into sections and receiving said leaf links, a removable locking rod passing through said tubular guide and through said holes in the leaf links, said rod having a threaded portion at its outer end, an enlarged sleeve extension on said tubular guide and normally housing the threaded portion of the rod and permitting insertion of a key to engage said threaded portion of the rod, and means for preventing said rod from turning.

4. In a loose leaf book, the'combination with cover members, leaf links and means for pivotally connecting said links at one end with one cover member, said links having holes at their other ends, of a plate secured to the other cover member and provided at one edge with a tubular guide, saidplate having notches dividing said tubular guide into sections and receiving said leaf links, a removable locking rod passing through said tubular guide and through said holes in the leaf links, said rod having a threaded portion at its outer end, and an enlarged sleeve extension on said tubular guide and normally housing the threaded portion of the rod and permitting insertion of a key to engage said threaded portion of the rod, said rod having a wedge-shaped forward end and the tube having a wedge-shaped member therein to receive the wedge-shaped end of the rod. I

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT C. RUSSELL.

WVitnesses 7 BELLE WILHELM, ANNA Rnrss; 

